Week in review: War over the workers

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remotely. A security consultant said he has found a number of possible flaws in the way the Web browser software handles JPEG images. The consultant said one of the flaws could be exploited for remote arbitrary code execution, a type of attack generally categorized as "critical" by security vendors.

Four proof-of-concept images that aim to exploit these flaws have been posted on the Web by the consultant. Each of these has the potential to crash IE 6, the latest version of Microsoft's browser, even if it has been patched with Service Pack 2.

An IM worm is also attracting Redmond's attention. MSN Messenger and America Online's Instant Messenger services are being targeted by malicious messages containing links that could infect a computer with a Trojan horse or dangerous worm.

The latest threat is a Trojan called Kirvo, which arrives in the form of an instant message from someone on the user's "friends" list. The message contains a link to a Web site, which, if clicked, loads a copy of Kirvo onto the computer.

Built for speed
Voters in Lafayette, La., approved a bond offering to fund a citywide fiber-optic project, an issue that was the source of considerable friction during the past year. Residents approved the measure 12,290 to 7,507.

The city of 116,000 residents has been planning to build its own fiber-optic network for more than a year. But local phone company BellSouth and cable operator Cox Communications challenged the project.

As Lafayette goes the fiber-optic route, Cingular Wireless plans to have wireless broadband networks up and running in 15 to 20 cities by year's end, as it tries to catch rival Verizon Wireless.

Cingular's commitment to having high-speed Internet available to 40 million Americans by January 2006 pressures No. 2 operator Verizon and No. 3 operator Sprint, which are rolling out similar networks to support new revenue-generating services such as video-on-demand.

Though they were relatively slow to catch on, wireless data services are finally being embraced in the United States--a promising sign given that each operator is spending billions of dollars to build faster networks.

At the same time, consumers are reaping the benefits of a growing discount war among phone and cable companies.

Last month, SBC Communications announced a promotional offer that lets customers get one year of DSL service for $14.95 per month. And earlier this year, Verizon increased speeds and kept its price of $29.95. "Cable prices are too high when you look at what you're getting in terms of megabits per dollar," said one cable user who plans to switch to a new service called Fios, which extends a high-speed fiber network directly to consumers' homes.

Raised on video
Apple Computer may be getting ready to take its iTunes Music Store to the movies. Since May, the iTunes software has allowed users to play videos, movie trailers and even home movies. The store itself has begun selling a handful of music videos, with more being added each week.

Now record label sources say Apple has been in talks to start selling a much wider range of music videos through the store, probably as soon as this fall. The company also has indicated to media executives that an iPod that plays video could be unveiled as early as September. That leads some industry insiders to believe that Apple is working on an online movie store and a video playback device that does for movies what iTunes and the iPod have done for music.

For Net phone operator Skype, the impact of video is clear: The company has tens of millions of users but envisions attracting billions with the help of video phones, says the man who co-founded the company. The company's CEO demonstrated a beta video version of Skype during his keynote at the AlwaysOn conference at Stanford University.

The application is a plug-in based on Skype's core telecommunications technology and is being tested internally. Speaking from his office in Estonia, the executive did not say when the product would be ready for release.

DVD-swapping site Peerflix is talking with retailers about attracting more customers as well: The company is negotiating with retailers in an attempt to get them to offer a few free Peerflix trades with new DVDs. The company runs a site through which participants can sell DVDs to one another for 99 cents.

"You get rid of 'Caddyshack' or 'Rambo,' and pick up 'The Aviator,'" is how CEO Billy McNair described the process during an interview at the AlwaysOn Conference. "We have a guy in Florida that trades 60 movies a month."

Also of note
The open-source Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client will be updated for the second time in a week because of code changes that unintentionally stopped some third-party extensions from functioning correctly...Meanwhile, the next version of Firefox has been delayed for a few months...Following a scandal over sexual content, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" will now bear an Adults Only rating...A new instant-messaging worm making the rounds masquerades as Apple's iTunes application and drops adware on infected Windows PCs.

HP WAS PREDICTED

HP is a company that had a great start and tried to take on a bit more then they should have. Their product line has never really been superior, although they have had great products from time to time.

None of that really matters because even the mediocre products can make a company a great success as long as are able to offer great support on products. This is something that HP has failed at. At the hands of Ann Livermore and other executives, HP has shown customers how unimportant they are to them once they purchase a product. Anyone who has had to call an HP customer support knows what I mean.

Perhaps we can blame globilization and the hunt for cheap labor instead of using us fat, lazy, overpaid Americans. Personally, I have to throw the blame directly at the people who make decisions to use support staff that can not communicate with the biggest markets such as the US, UK, and Asian markets. Because of the communication problems, these "cheap" foreign call centers spend more time practicing how to speak without an accent then they spend learning the products they are supposed to be supporting.

The #1 thing that I look for in a company is always support. If I buy a camera, I expect to call back in 5+ years and not hear, "I'm sorry-jib-jab-doodle-doodle-No support this product anymore.". As it stands HP doesn't even support last years model. I called for drivers on a digital camera and it wasn't until I found the drivers on a 3rd party web site that I was able to use my camera with a new PC.

These foolish executives really think that MARKETING is the #1 factor that makes a company a success. I say absolutely NOT! I can give many examples of companies that have made it entirely based on the quality of their products and support before any real budget was put into marketing. (NetFlix for instance only used word of mouth, a great idea and awesome service) I can also give examples of companies that started out good enough but, like HP, made the mistake of spending more on marketing and less on support. Vonage VOIP phone for instance were built on a great service but they treat customers EVEN WORSE then HP.

My prediction made long ago is that HP will continue to try and capture new customers while disregarding the potential and the need for customer satisfaction. They will find ways to survive for years to come but will certainly not last unless they learn what makes companies like Dell look so good to customers.

Lets all give a nice long middle finger to HP, Vonage and the rest of the companies that don't give a damned about you.